Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zonesAggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
LABELLE Hendry County rolls out cameras for school speed zones The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office has rolled out a new way of enforcing school zone speed limits by using cameras that will target drivers traveling over a certain speed in a school zone.
Aggressive driving concerns on the rise in Southwest Florida The arrest of a man who, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said, killed a motorcyclist after crashing into him on purpose is raising concerns over aggressive driving in Southwest Florida.
SANIBEL Sanibel School students prepare for community Christmas performance The school that has had to claw and fight its way back more than once to reopen is getting the chance to celebrate.
FORT MYERS Rock For Equality: SWFL music scene to hold benefit concert for Palestine A two-venue, eight-band benefit concert is coming to Southwest Florida.
NAPLES Naples man sentenced in deadly bar shooting A man has been sentenced for a deadly shooting that took place at a Naples bar in March 2021.
New ovarian cancer treatments Ovarian cancer is a problematic disease because of symptoms such as nausea, bloating and diarrhea.
Largest Lee County land deal closes, $100M for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral The most lucrative land deal in Lee County history just closed at a price of $100 million for 1,745 acres in northwest Cape Coral, where building up to 3,500 homes and commercial property to support it has been in the planning stages for almost two years.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Crash between RV and semi temporarily shuts down NB lanes of U.S. 41 in Charlotte A major collision near Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County temporarily closed all northbound lanes of U.S. 41, according to the Charlotte County Sherriff’s Office.
FORT MYERS Apple AirPods lead LCSO to an arrest; over $100,000 worth of stolen items recovered Through the use of Apple Airpods, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was able to locate nearly $100,000 worth of stolen items, leading to an arrest.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral officials approve replacement funding for hurricane-damaged stop signs The Cape Coral City Council has approved funding to replace stop signs damaged during Hurricane Milton, resulting in an emergency purchase.
Holiday events happening in Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is embracing the holiday spirit with a variety of festive events this Christmas season.
Collier man accused of supplying fentanyl-laced pills, enough to kill 531,500 people The Collier County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of supplying more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral council supports construction of I-75 interchange into city The Cape Coral City Council has approved a resolution requesting support from Lee and Charlotte counties to prioritize state and federal funding for the Interstate 75 Interchange at Slater Road.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
What is next for the City of Palms Park. CREDIT: WINK News A city and organization have not come to an agreement that would start the redevelopment of an area known as an eyesore to many. The issues behind the City of Palms Park have been well documented. The City of Fort Myers is being sued by the developer that came in second, the United Soccer League, claiming the city was biased and prejudiced while picking Pitch Prime. At the last city council meeting, the city manager proposed that the council reject all of the City of Palms proposals. Monday night, WINK News hopes to hear an update on those negotiations from the city manager. It’s hard to tell until we get the official update if it’s going well, but a spokesperson for Pitch Prime is optimistic. While Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson doesn’t want the park to go unused much longer, he says it’s crucial that the decision made Monday night is done carefully. RELATED: Fort Myers sued over City of Palms Park bidding process RELATED: Full steam ahead for City of Palms Park? The journey to selecting Pitch Prime LLC as the developer for the City of Palms Park hasn’t been a walk in the park. “This is very dishonorable on us for a city,” said Councilwoman Watkins Brown during a meeting. The group that came in second place, the United Soccer League, has filed a lawsuit against the city after complaining that councilman Liston Bochette and Fred Burson broke the rules by giving scores of zero instead of one to five when determining the winning bid for the park. “I understand USL feels that they were wrong during this process. They have every right to access the court system to get relief. I wish that we could work through this and avoid the courts. Because that slows things down and that’s costly,” said Anderson. In February, city manager Marty Lawing proposed that the council reject all the proposals and start fresh, but the council chose to stick with Pitch Prime. “Not only is it costing the taxpayers money every year,” said Anderson, “but this is a critical piece of midtown, and if we don’t do this right, we’re either going to set midtown up to be a problem for years to come, or we’re gonna establish midtown in such a way that the citizens will benefit from these decisions for decades.” Bill Gramer, the spokesperson for Pitch Prime, says negotiations have been going well. “We’re definitely getting closer to resolution of this and get a good deal in place for the city,” said Gramer. He says there are big plans for the park. “We’re still looking for a 2025 MLS next pro season start,” said Gramer. “Pickleball, paddle ball that’s going to be installed early in the process as well.” The city council will hear some of those plans Monday night as the city manager gives an update on negotiations. Anderson said he would only accept the best offer. “I’m looking for a proposal that’s got to be absolutely the best deal for the citizens of the city. If it’s anything less than that, I’m gonna be hard-pressed to support it,” said Anderson. The council meeting began Monday afternoon, but WINK News does not expect to hear about the park negotiations until later in the night. If the council is not satisfied with the update, it could go back and take another look at the United Soccer League, the runner-up in Fort Myers.